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Mar 08, 2009

Claudia rated it:

Not until I finished did I realize this is a reworking of the book, MOCKINGBIRD that came out several years ago. Shields simply rewrote it for younger readers. I wonder what was left out...I loved the portrait of a passionate, original thinker who loves writing. It seems like her friendship with Truman Capote, and her decision to assist him with his book IN COLD BLOOD may have contributed to her never writing another book. There are hints here of a novel she worked on and a nonfiction book as w More...

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Jan 31, 2012

Cassandra added it

I am Scout is a fascinating and well-written biography of Nelle Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird. The connection it shows between author and her work compliment each book and captured the interest and imagination. It is exciting to know that Scout lived, and refreshing to read about the success of one determined,non-conforming, clear-sighted, spunky young writer.

The book details events through Lee's life from early childhood to her years as an older woman at peace with herse More...

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Jan 30, 2012

Tiffany rated it:

I am Scout is non-fiction look into Harper Lee's life through the author Charles J. Shields. It offers colorful insight into Lee's life before her birth and throughout her life and offers the reader connections between Lee's life and the world that she creates in her prize winning novel To Kill a Mockingbird. The biography examines her life and how her experiences led her to be the famous writer that she became.

I had to make myself get through this book. I have never been a non-fictio More...

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Jan 30, 2012

Courtney rated it:

I Am Scout is a non-fiction work by Charles J. Shields. It chronicles the life of Harper Lee who wrote To Kill a Mockingbird. The book offers many interesting looks into Lee’s life from her relationship with her parents and siblings to her struggles with school and fitting in to her undeniably tough, brash personality to her unlikely friendship with Truman Capote. The book gives glimpses into the connections between Lee’s childhood and home town knowledge to the characters and setting of her More...

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Jan 30, 2012

Camila rated it:

I found I am Scout to be somewhat interesting. I didn’t really know anything about Harper Lee before reading this book. It was interesting to read the experiences that inspired the author to write TKAM. Though TKAM is one of my least favorite books, I found Harper Lee’s life to fulfilling. It was interesting to read the process she had to go through in order to write her first novel. The book tells the journey of her life from being a child to her adulthood. Also, having read I am Scout I was ab More...

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Jan 30, 2012

Kenyatta rated it:

I Am Scout is a biography written by Charles J. Shields that takes us through the life of Harper Lee (born Nelle Harper Lee). Throughout the book we see Lee age from a small child to a nice old lady. From the story we learn a lot of her own life can be depicted in her own famous novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, such as the small town where she grew up which would be the setting for TKAM. We also learn that Atticus Finch, a fictional father to Scout in the novel, is similar to her real father and th More...

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Jan 30, 2012

Katie rated it:

I am Scout is a biographical text that describes Harper Lee's life. The elements of this book somewhat resemble that of a narrative. The story begins with Harper Lee's early childhood, progresses through her middle stages of life, then ends with her being in an elderly state. Major parts of this book consists of describing Lee's social patterns, interpreting acquaintances' influence on Lee's writing, and analyzing the creation of To Kill a Mockingbird. There were numerous chapters that perta More...

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Jan 30, 2012

Danielle rated it:

I Am Scout is a biography of Harper Lee’s life. I knew very little about (Nelle) Harper Lee before reading I Am Scout because I had never read her famous book, To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM). With that being said, reading this biography was difficult for me. Charles Shields had done extensive research before he wrote I Am Scout, with quotes from family members, former teachers, and friends. He included stories about Nelle and details from a few court cases. While reading, I also learned about many More...

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Jul 08, 2010

Rachel rated it:

I Am Scout is a biography of the author Nelle Harper Lee, famous for her novel “To Kill a Mockingbird.” I chose this book, because as a young adult I was required to read Mockingbird in school. I assume many young readers are as well and wanted to find out how this book would be as a supplement to the novel. I think readers curious about the author of such an amazing work of fiction will love this book. Shields shows us the overall picture of her life through extensive research and many intervi More...

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Jan 29, 2012

Amanda rated it:

This is a very informative book on Harper Lee's life. It gives information on when she was young to her writing "To Kill a Mockingbird" and life after the book took off and became one of the most popular books on the shelf. The book shows how Harper Lee stayed true to herself and didn't conform to what and who people thought she should be. She attended two seperate colleges and towards the end of the second college realized what her true calling was. Harper Lee took chances to beco More...

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Nov 04, 2009

Allie rated it:

Genre/Category: biography/non-fiction
Read for "non-fiction" requirement

Summary:

Charles J. Shields tells the life story of reclusive Nelle Harper Lee, the author of To Kill A Mockingbird, one of the greatest novels ever written. Shields presents us with Nelle's background, describing her personality, her family life, and perhaps most importantly, the connections between her personal life and her only novel. Lee's life is marked with excitement and sadness, More...

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Sep 09, 2010

Belinda rated it:

I loved this book. It's really hard to find good and lengthy information on Harper Lee...saying she is a recluse is a bit of an understatement. To Kill a Mockingbird is my favorite book ever. I read it and re-read it often--it helps me when I am hating the world and it's inhabitants. The clear and honest voice of Scout throughout the book helps me to feel clean again--to see things as a child--which we all need to do.
This book has a great concept--it uses both research and Ms. Lee's wo More...

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Oct 03, 2010

Ms. B rated it:

Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Alabama. Alongside her friend Truman Capote, young Nelle enjoyed writing stories on a black Underwood typewriter. After graduating high school, she spent time at an all-girls college and at law school before moving to New York to pursue her dream of becoming an author. She would eventually write one of the most beloved American novels of the 20th century and see her creation transformed into an Oscar-winning film.

I am Scout i More...

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Dec 14, 2009

Mary Drew rated it:

Shields, C. J. (2008). I Am Scout: the Biography of Harper Lee. New York: Holt and Company
Nonfiction; ages 13 to 18
Young readers who were riveted by To Kill a Mockingbird may opt to read this biography of the woman who never wrote another book before or after that American classic. Author Shields does appear to answer the question, “Why did Harper Lee never write another book?” What he doesn’t do so much is engage the reader. The writing is stuffed with a lot of notes for a YA b More...

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Mar 18, 2008

KT rated it:

A real disappointment. I was hoping he'd improve upon his adult biography of Harper Lee, with this edited version for teens, since the author is a high school teacher, but this suffers from the same problems: too many repetitive quotes and too much love for his own research. Harper Lee remains an enigma.

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Oct 02, 2011

Jessica rated it:

"I Am Scout" was not as good as I thought it would be. I was interested in reading the book because I read "To Kill a Mickingbird" last year, and I enjoyed it. They story line of this book wasn't as exciting to me. It was very informative on the connection of Harper Lee's Life to the novel. My favorite parts of the book were when Shields explained how the characters in Lee's real life inspired the characters in her novel. It was cool how Harper Lee was so much like Scout in t More...

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Dec 13, 2011

Staci rated it:

I always have hard times with biographies, and autobiographies not because they aren't interesting but simply because I lose enthusaism about mid-way through it. This book was interesting a little slow going, but overall I really enjoyed it.

This book was about Harper Lee the author of To Kill a Mockingbird. A classic that is read by many. Her life was interesting to say the least. Her mother was manic and her father seems aloof. She has a passion for writing and reading at a young ag More...

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Sep 30, 2011

Lyndee added it

This is a biography of Harper Lee, the writer of "To Kill a Mockingbird". The author begins by briefly talking about Harper Lee's parents and what they were like, then it chronicles the rest of her life. Harper Lee wrote one novel. She thought that it would be ok and that no one would really like it. It caught like wildfire, winning a Pultizer Prize. The fame of this book was more than Lee expected.

If you are into biographies, then you will love this book. Harper Lee was a r More...

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Apr 17, 2009

Penny rated it:

Best Book ~ Nonfiction

VOYA Book Review Codes ~ Quality 5A; Popularity 2P; Grade Level Interest M, J, S

Developmental Assets: 10, 14, 16, 25, 28, 35

If you have read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, you will definitely want to read I Am Scout by Charles J. Shields. Likewise, if you readd I Am Scout, you will want to read To Kill a Mockingbird! This book tells not only tells about the Pulitzer Prize winning book and how that book relates to the author' More...

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Jun 09, 2011

Rachel rated it:

So I'm probably biased, having spent a few days with the author when he visited the library I work at for our To Kill a Mockingbird reading festival this spring. But any way you look at it, I think I am Scout provides a fair glimpse of the mysterious woman who penned To Kill a Mockingbird.

As any die-hard Mockingbird fan probably knows, Nelle Harper Lee has spent most of her life intensely protecting her privacy, ever since she was vaulted into fame in the months following the publicat More...

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Sep 29, 2008

Katie Ridgway added it

I am Scout is about Harper Lee, a southern authoress. Ms. Lee comes from a family of Lawyers, and was planing to take the same path, but in her last year of college she dropped out of college and moved to New York. In New York she took a low paying job and struggled for years to write her book, To Kill A Mockingbird, though once published the book took off and became one of the most well known books form the Southern United States. After the success of To Kill a Mockingbird Ms. Lee was under im More...

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Sep 10, 2008

Jackie "the Librarian" rated it:

This is a careful and respectful biography of Nelle Harper Lee that skims the surface of her personal life. This will be useful to teens doing a report on Lee, or anyone interested in the background of To Kill a Mockingbird. It's fast and readable with lots of white space, and short chapters that give you plenty of facts, but just the facts you would need for a report. Adults, look elsewhere for deep insight and personal details.

Nelle Harper Lee grew up in a small town in Alabama, More...

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Jun 23, 2008

Becky rated it:

Shields, Charles J. 2008. I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee.

In ten wonderful chapters, the reader gets an introduction to the ever-so-fascinating author Nelle Harper Lee, author of the phenomenal To Kill A Mockingbird. I AM SCOUT by Charles J. Shields is a must-read for any one who has ever been curious about this novel and novelist. (For those that are wondering, I AM SCOUT is an adapted version of his MOCKINGBIRD. I haven't read Mockingbird. But I Am Scout is just wonderful.)
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Nov 16, 2009

Nancy rated it:

If you've read To Kill a Mockingbird, you'll want to read this biography about Harper Lee. It's fascinating to learn of her childhood and how some of the characters in her novel were shaped from some of the people in her youth. You might know that Truman Capote was a childhood friend, and in this biography, we see how much she really helped him in his research on writing In Cold Blood. Harper Lee was a very fiesty and independently minded young woman who was often isolated because of these qual More...

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Sep 27, 2010

Brinlie rated it:

It was kinda slow. When I think of authors I think of really social, understanding people so it surprised me that she was kind of a social out cast. I think it was brave of her to publish her views on blacks and whites even though she was shunned by some people. i guess there's a lot of pressure after you write an award-winning book, if you try and write another one. it was sad how Truman Capote committed suicide, i don't think i ever really liked him, Nelle was nice and he was sort of a jer More...

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Oct 22, 2009

Lisa rated it:

Even though I oanly gave it 3 stars, I really enjoyed reading this book. It made me want to dig a little deeper into the life of Nelle Harper Lee and Truman Capote. I do think this books suits its target audience-TKAM fans will love all the anecdotes about her childhood in Monroeville. Though Harper Lee remains somewhat of an enigma, this biography provides a great example for girls who don't have the desire to conform to the norms society has given them.

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Mar 31, 2011

Jaren rated it:

This is the biography of Harper Lee(Nelle), the author of To Kill a Mockingbird. I'm not really a fan of biography, but it was interesting to learn about her, and how her ideas for To Kill a Mockingbird were taken from her own life.

Her childhood was similar to Scout's and Atticus was very similar to her own father. The things that happened to her and her experiences with life, made To Kill a Mockingbird the great classic that it is.

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Aug 08, 2011

Ruth rated it:

I think I found out as much about Truman Capote as I did about Nelle Harper Lee, but that is okay as their writing and personal lives were so intertwined. This is a bio for kids/teens so it may be why it felt almost too informal. Using Nelle rather than her last name, Lee, was a bit off putting for me. Tough to do a really interesting biography on such a reclusive woman. We talked about To Kill a Mockingbird in my book club today and I noted not caring for it as a teen growing up in rural Upper More...

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Mar 29, 2011

Kristi rated it:

I would have organized the book differently in various sections. Also, I'm not sure Nelle Harper Lee would appreciate the fact that this book was written. A lot of the content was based on speculation, too much in a lot of places. Plus, it painted Harper Lee in a negative light in spots, which I didn't really appreciate, especially since her perspective is not included (per her usual MO of not doing interviews or talking about Mockingbird).

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Jan 11, 2011

Alicia rated it:

This is basically a watered-down version of Shields' Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee, abridged and edited to be more accessible to teen readers (who are, afterall, the majority of people reading TKAM). I've heard that Harper Lee: A Twentieth Century Life is a better choice for younger readers looking to learn more about Harper Lee's life and the inspiration behind To Kill a Mockingbird, but I haven't read it.

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